Belt.



C. 3. SMITH, DECD.

w. H. THORNLEY, ADMINISTRATOR.

BELT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 9,19H-

Patented Apr. 6, 1915;

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTC-LITHU. WASHING TON. o I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. SMITH, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND; WILLIAM H. THORNLEY, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ADMINISTRATOR OF SAID SMITH, DECEASED.

BELT.

Application filed September 9, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to belts, especially of the type worn by men, although it is equally as well adapted for use by women and children.

Belts for personal wear are usually entirely inelastic, an objection to the use of belts with elastic portions being that the said portions are unsightly; and the object of the present invention is to provide a belt having an elastic portion which is entirely concealed from view.

Another object of the invention is to provide a belt of such structure with retaining loops for the free end of the belt, said loops being so constructed as to always permit the free end to slide without buckling or being bowed up.

To these ends the invention consists in the belt substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a front elevation of a belt embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation taken from the rear, of the overlapped and adjustable ends of the belt. Fig. 4 represents a detail section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

The belt proper preferably consists of a strip 5 of seamless material, possessing considerable thickness, such as tubular woven webbing. To one end is suitably connected a buckle 6 which may be of any selected type, although I prefer a form of buckle having a sliding tongue 7 which holds the strip or band by a pinching action. Closely adjacent the buckle is a section 8 of elastic material, such section, however, being of rather short length so that it will be always concealed by the free end 9 of the belt strip. Carried by the belt, at each end of the elastic section 8, are two guide loops 10 which,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Serial No. 648,509.

as indicated in Fig. 4, have stiffening or reinforcing cores 11. Said stiffening cores may consist, each of them, of a strip of metal such as brass, covered by fabric matching the fabric of the strip 5. Said cores prevent the loops from collapsing, said loops being of a height sufficiently in excess of the material of the belt so that the free end 9 will slide freely as the elastic section 8 expands or contracts.

It will be understood, of course, that with all buckled belts of this nature it is necessary to have a free end, which free end must be of considerable length to engage some kind of retaining device, such as a loop, in order to prevent the adjustment that is eflected by the buckle from being disturbed, or in other words, to prevent the belt from becoming unbuckled. By locating the clastic section close to the buckle, and by pro viding means which will retain the free end 9 over said elastic section, said section does not become objectionable because of unsightliness.

Owing to the guide loops being inflexible, as distinguished from non-reinforced or loose loops, such loops cannot be so com pressed as to exert friction upon the free end of the strip. If such friction were to occur during the expansion and contraction of the elastic section, there would be liability of buckling or bowing up of the portion of the strip nearest the buckle so as to release the grip of the buckle.

I claim:

A belt comprising a strip of inelastic material having a buckle at one end, an elastic section close to said buckle, a confining loop at each end of the elastic section to hold the free end of the inelastic section in position to conceal the elastic section, said free end of the inelastic section having a width equal to or greater than that of the elastic section. In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES S. SMITH.

Witnesses:

A. W. HARRISON, J. M. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. C. 

